Vietnamese netizens livid as civil servant gropes legendary statue

The picture on Facebook that shows a civil servant from the central province of Ha Tinh kissing the breast of a mythological stone statue in Da Lat, causing an uproar among Vietnamese netizens.

The man paid real “lip service” to the statue.

A picture of a man kissing the breast of a mythological stone statue in Da Lat has gone viral and caused quite a stir throughout Vietnam’s virtual community.

The man is said to be a civil servant from Vu Quang District in the central province of Ha Tinh who was vacating in the popular resort town in the Central Highlands.

The online community in Confucianism-dominated Vietnam, which currently has around 35 million Facebook users, has expressed outrage at the act.

“I don’t understand what he was thinking when he kissed the statue of Lang Biang," said a member of the ViTalk social network. "He is a trained and learned civil servant, how can he be that disrespectful?”

“What an offensive act! It’s unacceptable for a civil servant to be this decadent,” said another Facebook user.

The incident took place at Lang Biang Mount in Da Lat Town. The "harassed" statue was of H’biang, a legendary female character from an ill-fated love story after whom the area is named.

The civil servant in spotlight admitted that he had climbed onto the statue of Lang Biang girl and that his deed was an improper. "After socializing with friends, we drank overly, which is why we acted that way. I know that it was wrong to do it," said the man, whose name was withheld.

The picture was uploaded by another civil servant from the province. He said he was using a new phone he was unfamiliar with, and “accidentally” uploaded the picture.

Pham Quoc Thanh, vice mayor of Vu Quang District, where the man works, said district officials have been aware of the controversial picture. He said disciplinary measures would be taken against those held responsible.